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Reviews
Ten Dead Men (2008)
Brash British Action...
If you ever got around to watching Left For Dead, the debut feature from the team at Modern Life? the you'll know what to expect with their second film 'Ten Dead Men' because it's very much more of the same
So what CAN you expect? Well most lots of violence, very few female characters, testosterone, guns, deaths a plenty and action galore. If this is your idea of heaven then this film is for you
I you like your films a bit more refined then may I suggest you look elsewhere.
The biggest difference between the two films is that in terms of filmmakers the team have taken a massive step forward. More polished, better shot and edited, better direction and far more bang for your buck means that this film is about as close to a Hollywood action movie you could make on such a limited budget.
Is it perfect? No. It doesn't always make sense, the pacing is a touch off at the start and Doug Bradley's voice over (whilst expertly delivered) doesn't always add the value intended. It's also not as fun as Left for Dead with hardly any comic relief making it tough going at times.
If you like your films in your face and brash, then Ten Dead Men is the perfect uber violent hit.
Soul Searcher (2005)
Not bad but Not Great!
Just rented this, another low budget British action martial arts
yawn. There are so many of these out there now that to be honest I'm starting to get bored. In the past two years a rash of badly acted and poorly shot British and even US low budget actioners have been released.
Working as I do for a cross Atlantic review site I get screeners of these and being that my speciality is action (and that I'm British) I get the dubious pleasure of reviewing an ever growing stack of DV features.
Soul Searcher is okay, a solid 2 ½ star movie. It's not badly acted, or badly directed, or badly shot but at the same time there was little to stand out. The central lead was dull and lacked life, and the film just felt like it needed something more to make it stand out.
As for the extras, it's an impressive pack to be sure but for my money the director should have been stopped from making his rather self involved behind the scenes documentary. If I hear how hard is was once more I will scream.
Left for Dead (2005)
Enjoyable Calling Card Movie...
Kick! Punch! Kick! Punch! Kick! Punch! Punch! Punch! Kick! You get the point but then again so did I after about 5 minutes of this small budgeted British action feature. There's no shortage of action.
Looking at other reviews here this seems like the kind of film that will and has split opinions in two. You either love it or loathe it. I love it but then again I grew up watching ripped VHS imports of Chinese and Hong Kong movies, in the days where subtitles were written by someone with no idea about either language they were translating.
On occasion the modest budget does show up and by the end you are wishing that a few explosions or the like could have been thrown in for good measure. But in this age of cynical studio produced McMovies, it nice to see a film with a raw passion.
Looked at as just a movie it still has a lot to offer (there's more action in this that most of the Hollywood films of last year put together), but looked at as what this is, a calling card that says 'Look at me', this film is one hell of an achievement rather than being just another low budget action movie. And that makes it rather special
.
I looked and enjoyed and I hope that there is more to come.
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Snakes. Planes. Sam Jackson. Count Me In!
Snakes. Planes. Sam Jackson. As far as perfect movies go, there are few better than this. A straight 80's styled film with a naughty's budget (around $35 million no less) it's very hard to say more on this film than has already been said.
Hysterical. Scary. Action Packed. Stupid. Snakes is all of these things and much, much more. It's also wonderfully entertaining and in a summer of films that felt like they went on forever, Snakes is that rare beast
a feature film that doesn't for one moment outstay it's welcome.
And boy can Sam Jackson pick 'em. For a moment, just a moment, he looked like he was loosing his way. Picking films that were either rubbish or uncool. His king of cool crown started to slip and then, then he takes on Snakes On A Plane and the world is right once again.
See this film. Laugh. Cry. Eitherway you will be entertained.
Miami Vice (2006)
One Of The Best Movies This Year...
Michael Mann films are those rare things
a movie that you can actually look forward to and not be disappointed once you have watched it. And Miami Vice is no different. A superlative film from start to finish, Vice serves up a stone cold thriller (even if it was marketed as a action movie).
Farrell and Fox sparkle off each other, with the former putting in a career best performance as Sonny.
Okay so at times the plot is a bit wayward, and I was disappointed that the action sold to us in the trailer accounted for less than 5 mins of a very long 2 ½ hour screen time but what Mann does here is present an adult themed thriller, so beautiful in it's high def richness (a format that Mann more than anyone else has taken to heart and excelled with), so well acted but never quite reaching the brilliance that was promised.
Stone Cold (1991)
This Is More Like it!
Sometimes, just sometimes you see a film that rocks your world. A film that normally you wouldn't even pick off the shelf unless someone told you about it. Stone Cold is that film.
Starring man of the day Brian 'the Boz' Bosworth this low budget action vehicle is one of the most fun actioners that I have ever seen. What's right with it? In terms of your normal studio producer films
very little. The acting is poor, the script dreadful, continuity (especially the hysterically bad bike chase) is just atrocious and that's just the opening few scenes.
But this film hits where it needed to. The action. The set pieces are a by numbers low budget master class, how to make the most out of very, very little. Henrikson is a superb villain and Bosworth makes the most of his limited abilities to chew the scenery whenever it gets into his way.
As I said not a perfect film but pretty damn perfect nights entertainment.